March 27: Rules Made to Be Broken

Government's Not Dead Yet (NYT)
Joe Nocera notes that idealism in Washington isn't just the stuff of Frank Capra movies. It's alive and well at the CFPB, where young employees believe they can do good for the country instead of biding their time until Citigroup makes them an offer.

Jobs Act: White House, Democrats at odds over Obama-backed pro-business bill (WaPo)
The president's allies question claims that the JOBS Act will help the economy by reducing the cost of complying with securities laws. It's cheaper to let companies lie to regulators and investors, but it's not really preferable to non-Republicans.

The Fast Pace of Change for Women Workers Can’t Distract From the Work Left to Do (The Nation)
ND2.0 Editor Bryce Covert argues that while women have made great strides toward equality in the last 50 years, they're still being forced to run on an economic treadmill that's pulling them backwards. Note: Stop by The Nation's comments section today at 1 p.m. for a live chat with Bryce and Roosevelt Institute Fellow Mike Konczal.

Bank Lobby’s Onslaught Shifts Debate on Volcker Rule (Bloomberg)
Wall Street lobbyists may have successfully strong-armed policymakers into delaying and "revising" Dodd-Frank's ban on prop trading so that it doesn't ban prop trading. Also, what if they changed the name to the Volcker Friendly Suggestion?

Is Participatory Rule-Making Possible? (The Nation)
Instead of letting regulations be over-complicated and watered down through acronym-laden federal agencies, Roosevelt Institute Fellow Sabeel Rahman argues grassroots organizing can give people a say. People-people, not corporate people.

Pre-Game's Over. Tomorrow, the Health-Care Fight Begins. (TAP)
Garrett Epps writes that the first day of the Supreme Court's health care hearings was an insomnia cure focused on the definition of "tax" and whether the Court should rule on the case at all. Now the fun starts, for a very narrow definition of fun.

What the Supreme Court Could Do About Obamacare, Explained (MoJo)
Adam Serwer runs through the most likely outcomes for this case, from upholding the entire law to scrapping it. But should the free Bingo square be "Scalia makes a snide remark," "Thomas says nothing," or "Someone calls Sotomayor a racist"?

Healthcare Jujitsu (Robert Reich)
Reich notes that if conservatives insist the mandate to buy private insurance is the problem, President Obama could turn the tables by proposing Medicare for all as an alternative. Then he could soar off into the sky in his chariot pulled by flying pigs.

Can This Man Save the American Economy? (Slate)
Research presented by Chicago Fed president Charles Evans shows the Fed could improve the economy by making concrete policy promises instead of pretending they glean signs of the future by staring into Ben Bernanke's bald head like a crystal ball.

It's Not Just the Economy, Stupid (MoJo)
Prognosticators claim most of what goes on in a presidential election is meaningless because they're decided by the economy, but economy-based prediction models don't hold up well. Just check who's trending on Twitter on Election Day and you'll be fine.

With additional research by Roosevelt Institute intern Elena Callahan.